When James Burks was little, there was only one thing that he wanted to be when he grew up; a light-saber-wielding, truck-driving space pirate with a monkey for a first mate. But since his parents refused to buy him a monkey, he had to choose the next best thing; a pen-wielding father of two with a lovely wife, two cats, and two dogs, a constant hunger for Mexican food, a love of running marathons, writing stories and drawing pictures about anything and everything he can imagine. This led James to a long career working in animation on various feature films and television shows, including Space Jam, the Iron Giant, the Emperor’s New Groove, Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Home on the Range, Wow Wow Wubbzy, the Bravest Warriors and most recently the reboot of the Power Puff Girls (just to name a few).

James is also a published author who has written and illustrated numerous books for kids, including his long-running seven-book graphic novel series Bird and Squirrel, published by Scholastic/Graphix, which has been translated into Czech, Spanish, French, Castilian, Chinese, and even Farsi (the pirated edition in Iran). His other published works include Gabby and Gator (Yen Press), Beep and Bah (Carolrhoda), Pigs and a Blanket (Disney/Hyperion), and When Pigs Fly (Disney/Hyperion). He also has a new graphic novel series called Agent 9, published by Putnam/Penguin.

Street magic performer. Hog-calling champion. Award-winning ice sculptor. These are all things Tara Lazar has never been. Instead, she writes quirky, humorous picture books where anything is possible!

Tara's book ABSURD WORDS won a 2023 SCBWI Golden Kite in Non-fiction for Older Readers. The Golden Kite is the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' highest peer-selected honor.

7 ATE 9: THE UNTOLD STORY was honored with the 2018 SCBWI Crystal Kite and the Irma S. & James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature from Bank Street College of Education. Her other titles include THE MONSTORE, I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK, LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD, NORMAL NORMAN, WAY PAST BEDTIME, YOUR FIRST DAY OF CIRCUS SCHOOL, THREE WAYS TO TRAP A LEPRECHAUN, BLOOP, plus THE UPPER CASE and TIME FLIES, sequels to 7 ATE 9.

Tara's next picture book is FLAT CAT, illustrated by NY Times #1 Bestselling illustrator of THE BAD SEED series, Pete Oswald--available for pre-order now (the book, not Pete).

Tara's signature writing style is full of puns, wordplay, and goofy fun that makes both kids and adults giggle together non-stop.

Discover original stories, book reviews and giveaways at her popular blog "Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)": TaraLazar.com.

Tara was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2010. She speaks professionally about overcoming disability to achieve your goals and dreams. Tara teaches writing workshops for SCBWI, Highlights Foundation, and schools across America. She's a former Co-Chair of the prestigious Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature conference and a former picture book mentor for We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) and #PBChat. Tara visits dozens of schools annually to promote reading and writing to students.

Tara holds a BA in English/Writing from Rutgers College. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two daughters, and a lucky black cat named Phoebe.